Kevin Durant once called the NBA “a wing’s league.” It certainly feels that way, with so many of the sport’s best players manning that position.
It’s hard to win without difference-makers on the wing, particularly in the Eastern Conference, which features the likes of Celtics duo Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler of the Heat and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton of the Bucks.
It is why, as the Knicks inch closer to training camp coming off their best season in a decade, the wing spot is the biggest question surrounding the team.
More than how Jalen Brunson follows up his breakout season as one of the top lead guards in the game. More than whether Julius Randle can put together consecutive strong seasons. More than how newcomer Donte DiVincenzo fits in.
The Knicks, make no mistake about it, are thin at the wing. They will use undersized players there such as Josh Hart, Quentin Grimes and DiVincenzo. They will be counting on RJ Barrett, who is coming off a strong showing in Canada’s run to a bronze medal in the FIBA World Cup, to take a step forward.
Maybe the Knicks can improve on the wing prior to the trade deadline.
It’s not a secret they have long coveted Raptors wing OG Anunoby, a player they would love to acquire. But they likely will have to wait until he becomes a free agent next summer as the two franchises do battle in court.
The Knicks sued the Raptors, members of the Raptors organization and former Knicks employee Ikechukwu Azotam, who they allege “illegally procured and then disclosed proprietary information.” That doesn’t make for the most comfortable of trade partners.
Perhaps Barrett, the one Knick with true wing size, at 6-foot-6, emerges. But as was the case last season, they will be asking Hart and Grimes to defend opponents’ best perimeter players. Though they are certainly capable defenders, both are 6-foot-4, which puts them at a decided disadvantage against players two (Brown) to eight (Antetokounmpo) inches taller.
You saw the problems in the Knicks’ three regular-season losses to the wing-heavy Raptors. It also was evident in the playoff series loss to the Heat and Butler.
It’s a matchup issue that has to be the No. 1 concern heading into coach Tom Thibodeau’s fourth season as Knicks coach.
The Heat, Celtics and Bucks aren’t going away. On paper, they are the three best teams in the conference — the 76ers’ James Harden problem precludes them — and they are led by high-level wing players.
It should be noted that the Knicks did well against the Heat and Celtics during the regular season, going a combined 6-2. They did, however, lose all three contests to the Bucks.
It also should be noted, of course, that the Knicks won 47 games and their first postseason series since 2013 as currently constructed.
They improved on paper by landing DiVincenzo and trading Obi Toppin, adding versatility at both ends of the floor and shotmaking. The rotation remains extremely young. The 28-year-old Randle is the oldest player of the nine Thibodeau is expected to play.
Still, there is a hole on the roster, and it just so happens to be at one of the most important positions in the game.
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Giannis’ full-court Milwaukee press
The stories surrounding Antetokounmpo’s future isn’t going away for the Bucks, a development the Knicks are certainly monitoring.
The two-time MVP has made headlines this offseason by going public with his wait-and-see approach to signing a long-term contract extension.
First, he expressed his hesitation to the New York Times, and now he has offered a similar stance in an interview with Bleav Sports.
“I’m a Milwaukee Buck, but most importantly, I am a winner. I want to be a winner,” he said. “Comfort zone does not matter to me … At the end of the day, I want to create new memories, I want to win a lot of championships.
“If there is a better situation for me to win the Larry O’Brien [trophy], I have to take that better situation.”
The Bucks did bring Middleton and Brook Lopez back this summer, which were significant moves. And they did post the best record in the NBA during the regular season, going 58-24, before bowing out in five games in an opening-round upset loss to the Heat.
Antetokounmpo missed two and a half games in the series due to a lower back injury, which certainly played a role in that result.
Yet, with two years left on his contract, it is notable that twice this offseason Antetokounmpo has been outspoken about his uncertainty regarding his future with the Bucks.
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